Harry Potter and the Unknown Dark Wizard
by Hooded Shadow
Summary: Harrry encounters an unknown dark wizard who threatens Dumbledore and succeeds. Read to find out more...
1. Home Sweet Home

~*~*~*~  
  
*Chapter One*  
  
-Home Sweet Home-  
  
"Vernon, honey, do you really think this is the right thing to do?"  
  
"Yes, yes. Think of the freedom, Petunia, the freedom!"  
  
  
  
Vernon Dursley was unusually happy this week. He had set a deal  
  
for a large set of drills, with the richest man in town. Vernon Dursley sold  
  
drills for a company named Grunnings. Nothing would take his mind off of  
  
the fact that he could get a raise or even a promotion for making the  
  
deal. There were probably four things Mr. Dursley loved in his life:  
  
money, his son, his wife, and money- Money being number one, of  
  
course. In the past few days, he had even started humming. In the years  
  
he had been with the Dursleys, Harry had never seen Uncle Vernon hum.  
  
Harry didn't think the day could get any better. Actually, it could. Today  
  
was the day he was going to go to his friend Ron's house, named the  
  
Burrow. Harry sat on his bed, waiting. Everything was prepared; he had  
  
his trunk in front of the door and Hedwig in her cage, right beside him.  
  
  
  
*DING DONG* *DING DONG* *DING DONG* *DING DONG*  
  
  
  
Uncle Vernon narrowed his eyes and shouted. "Don't you people  
  
  
  
know how to properly ring a doorbell?" He didn't bother opening the door.  
  
"Some of us do." Harry replied, dragging his trunk down the stairs. He  
  
went back up the stairs to get Hedwig. Dudley- the Dursley's son-  
  
rushed to open the door expecting his friend Piers to be there. Instead,  
  
he received a surprise. There was Ron, in the middle of ringing the  
  
doorbell again. That wasn't the surprise, though-no. Behind Ron was  
  
floating car. A Ford Anglia to be exact. Dudley stepped back in horror,  
  
and then ran into the kitchen. Harry came down the stairs again, carrying  
  
Hedwig and her cage. He put the cage on top of the trunk and dragged  
  
the trunk to the doorway. He looked up and grinned. Ron grinned back.  
  
Fred and George, two of Ron's brothers, were sitting in the back seat with  
  
a sleeping Ginny. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were sitting at the front, with Mr.  
  
Weasley in the wheel. Ron helped Harry push the trunk into the car, while  
  
Fred and George pulled. Then they pulled Ron and Harry up. Mr. Dursley  
  
was still gaping at them, open-mouthed when Mrs. Dursley came to the  
  
doorway, gasped, and fainted. Fred, George, Ron, and Harry all started  
  
laughing as they flew away and went up into the clouds. Harry watched  
  
Number four of Privet Drive until he couldn't see Mr. Dursley's red face  
  
anymore. Then he sat back and relaxed. This was going to be great.  
  
  
  
"So you found the car in the forest?" Harry asked. "Oh goodness,  
  
no." Mrs. Weasley answered. "Did you, Arthur?" Arthur Weasley chuckled.  
  
"Of course not, dear." Harry's happiness faded. "But aren't you afraid  
  
someone saw the car, flying?" he asked. "No, not at all. We made sure  
  
everyone didn't see." Mr. Weasley winked at Harry. "We were going to  
  
drive, instead of flying, though." Fred grinned. "But we insisted on flying,  
  
just so we could see your aunt and uncle's faces as we flew away." Harry  
  
nodded in approval, but Mrs. Weasley shook her head. "And they insisted  
  
that I come with them. They made me give them permission to use the  
  
car." There was a silence, but Mr. Weasley broke it. "Yeah, this baby has  
  
everything the other car had. Well, more fuel of course- so it can go long  
  
distances." He glanced at Harry and Ron. "Just in case." He added. Harry  
  
and Ron chuckled nervously.  
  
  
  
Mr. Weasley continued. "Yep, invisibility, more room, what more  
  
could you possible ask for?" George leaned over and whispered in Harry's  
  
ear. "We installed a Dung Bomb shooter, too. When dad was at work." He  
  
grinned. "Just in case." He pointed to a red button with a Dung Bomb  
  
printed on it. Harry laughed out loud. Mr. Weasley looked back. "What, is  
  
it a joke? I need a good joke to tell at work." He looked sad. "They're all  
  
working overtime because of the Hogwarts Express incident." Harry  
  
raised his eyebrow. "Hogwarts Express incident?" he asked. Ron groaned.  
  
"Sorry, Harry. I keep forgetting you don't get the Daily Prophet." He  
  
reached under the seat and pulled out a newspaper with 'Daily Prophet'  
  
written in large letters at the top. Ron passed it to him and Harry read the first headline, on the front page. "Express Break-Down" it read.  
  
  
  
Engineers, who were there at the time, report that during a train  
  
check-up, a hooded figure had appeared. He ignored the people who  
  
questioned him and walked straight to the Hogwarts Express. He had  
  
pulled out his wand and shot a spell at the train, which blew out the  
  
engine. As the engineers glanced at the engine, the hooded figure had  
  
disappeared.  
  
As he shouted angrily at Daily Prophet reporters, the conductor of  
  
the Hogwarts Express stated clearly that '.students will have to find a  
  
new way to school.'  
  
Continued on page A14  
  
  
  
Harry looked up from the paper. "That's awful. Who would want to  
  
do such a thing?" he asked. "The Ministry is still working on it." Mr.  
  
Weasley replied. "So had a good summer so far, Harry?" he asked,  
  
changing the subject. "Well, I-" Harry began, but Ron interrupted him. "A  
  
good summer? How could he possibly have a good summer, living with  
  
those-those people? Especially that fat pig." His mother cut him off.  
  
"Ronald J. Weasley! I did not raise you to talk rubbish about people like  
  
that!" Ron lowered his head. "No, Mrs. Weasley-Ron's right, the Dursleys  
  
are horrible." Mrs. Weasley looked at Harry. "But for goodness sakes,  
  
Harry-They're your mum and dad's relatives-No one related to them  
  
could be that bad." Harry looked at his shoes. "Believe me, they are." He  
  
said unhappily. There was more silence that lasted for a few minutes.  
  
  
  
"We're here!" Mrs. Weasley shouted cheerfully. Harry looked and  
  
indeed, there it was: The Burrow. Mr. Weasley landed the car safely on  
  
the ground. It was then, that Ginny awoke. She looked around, still half  
  
asleep. She spotted Harry and blushed. "Hi, Harry." "Hi, Ginny." Harry  
  
responded. "Ooh." Fred and George said together. Ron shook his head.  
  
"Come on, let's go to my room." They got out of the car and entered the  
  
house. "Home, sweet home." Mr. Weasley said from behind them,  
  
dropping his keys on the table. "I'll tell you two when lunch is ready!"  
  
Mrs. Weasley yelled as Harry and Ron trudged up the stairs. It must have  
  
taken at least five minutes until they reached Ron's room. He opened the  
  
door, and surprisingly-it was clean. Ron saw Harry's face and answered.  
  
"My mom. She made me clean it up because '.Harry's coming.'" He said  
  
mockingly. Ron looked at Harry again. "No offense, of course." He added.  
  
"None taken." Harry replied. As Ron sat on his bed, Harry lay on the floor.  
  
"This is going to be great." And indeed, it was-for the time being.  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	2. The Birthday Present

~*~*~*~  
  
*Chapter Two*  
  
The Birthday Present  
  
  
  
The rest of the week was great-Harry couldn't ask for anything  
  
more-but it would be over before he knew it. July 31st came-Harry's  
  
birthday-and he wasn't sure if they would remember. He woke up pretty  
  
early in the morning, whereas Ron was still sleeping and the house was  
  
quiet except for the noisy ghoul in the attic. How they could sleep with  
  
the rattling chains, Harry didn't know. Getting bored and not wanting to  
  
wake any of the Weasleys up, Harry crept out of the room and down the  
  
stairs. Skipping the first step, he finally reached the bottom floor. With  
  
his eyebrows furrowed, Harry looked back at the first step. Why had he  
  
skipped it? That was only in the Dursley's home, where the first step  
  
creaked. Could it be that he was missing them?  
  
Harry shook his head, "No way." The thought bothered him and he  
  
shuddered. "Missing the Dursleys, what an absurd idea," he whispered.  
  
This reassured him a bit, but not much. He had said it himself, the  
  
Dursleys were horrible, and he couldn't miss them. He stepped into the  
  
kitchen and the light turned on-- but Harry was nowhere near the light  
  
switch. A few wizard crackers popped and a group of people yelled  
  
'Surprise!' Harry's eyes widened as he saw Fred and George throw some  
  
more wizard crackers, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley leaning over a humungous  
  
cake, Percy standing by a few presents, and a large banner hanging over  
  
them all that said 'Happy B-Day Harry!' Harry laughed out loud. So, they  
  
had remembered.  
  
He grinned and sighed. "Thanks, thanks a lot." He said. Mr.  
  
Weasley nodded. "It was no-" Fred and George interrupted with another  
  
burst of wizard crackers. "It was-" Fred and George threw some more,  
  
ignoring their parents. Mrs. Weasley gave them a 'Stop it or else' look  
  
and they immediately brought the exploding crackers to a halt. "It was no  
  
problem." Mr. Weasley said, finally finishing. There was a sound behind  
  
Harry and he looked back. There was Ron, coming down the stairs and  
  
rubbing his eyes. He stepped on the non-creaking first step. He looked up  
  
and stared at Harry. "Er- Happy Birthday Harry. How did-" He stopped  
  
and looked hungrily at the cake. As he stepped forwards towards it, his  
  
mother put a hand out.  
  
"Birthday boy gets the first slice." She told him. Harry blushed,  
  
embarrassed. "And he hasn't even decided if he's going to open his  
  
presents or eat first." Harry, unfortunately, didn't like making decisions  
  
unless it was a life-or-death situation. "Oh, no.I-" He stopped-- he didn't  
  
want to offend the Weasleys by refusing their offerings. He smiled  
  
nervously and glanced at Ron. Ron stared back at Harry and then,  
  
encouragingly, to the cake. Harry looked back to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.  
  
"Cake it is, then." He answered. Before he had even said it, Ron had rushed to pull up a chair at the table.  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	3. House Elf Discovery

* Chapter Three *  
  
House Elf Discovery  
  
    Ron, Hermione, and Harry all hurried after Professor Flamel and the other Professors who were running towards the Great Hall. Harry tripped, but quickly got up again. He had to see what this was; he was always in the middle of the action. Hermione and Ron payed no attention and moved on. Harry looked around. He seemed to have forgotten which way was to the Great Hall. That was peculiar…he spotted Malfoy and had the urge to take out his wand. He fought it and decided to make the best of it and follow him instead. Maybe he was off to the Great Hall, too. Had he heard the loud noise? What Harry didn't know was that Malfoy was lost too. Draco could sense that Harry was behind him, following him; so he knew he must be careful and calm. Except for the fact that he also had the urge to take out his wand and duel Harry, right then and there. Fighting it like Harry and wandering for a while, he finally reached his destination. When they arrived at the Great Hall, they could see that most of the students had left because the ceremony was over. Time had passed more than they had thought. Harry entered and slid between where Hermione and Ron were standing. "Where were you?" Hermione asked. "Look!" Ron shouted to Harry as he pointed to a large crowd that was gathering. Harry could just barely see someone in the middle of the crowd that he was sure he knew quite well, sitting on scattered pots and pans. "Winky!" Harry cried out loud. Winky glanced at Harry and her eyes lit up as if she had something to tell him. Then she shook her head slowly and looked back at the crowd to continue with her story. "-Then, I saw him!" Winky was saying. At this time, Dumbledore had just come into the Great Hall and asked, "Who? Who did you see, Winky?" "I saw- I saw-," Winky began. All of a sudden, Winky fainted onto the floor. "I didn't know that elves could faint like that," Ron said quietly. "Well you don't know anything, do you, Weasley?" a familiar voice said from behind them. "Malfoy! It's you again, why are you always hiding behind our backs?" Harry says. "No. Wrong again Potter. Its just that you are always in front of me," Malfoy said lamely with a smirk. Harry was about to knock Draco on the floor when the sight of Professor Malfoy watching them stopped him. Something else stopped Harry also. In a corner, he saw a shadow of a dog; a very familiar dog. Harry gasped. He gasped so loudly that Professor Malfoy spotted him. He looked straight to where Harry was looking at. Thank goodness the dog had disappeared as Professor Malfoy was looking at him, but where had it gone? Where did he go? When Harry had turned back, both Ron and Hermione were looking at him. "What's wrong?" Hermione asked suspiciously. "Umm..." Harry was wondering whether or not he should tell them. He looked around to see if Draco was anywhere nearby enough to hear. "Well I saw a dog. But not just any dog... Snuffles, "Harry says quietly. "You mean-" Ron started to say. Harry and Hermione stopped him. "Don't say it," Hermione says. "If someone hears, they are going to know the secret." Harry said. "Sorry." Ron whispered. Harry suddenly felt as if someone was watching them. He looks toward where Winky had just fainted earlier and saw Dumbledore smiling at him. Harry lifted up his eyebrow. Dumbledore nodded and mouthed out the words "Padfoot". Harry nodded back, suddenly understanding why he was smiling. Sirius had news for him. From the way Dumbledore was smiling he didn't know whether it was good or bad news. Harry looked at him once more to see him nodding toward the opposite corner of which Sirius had just stood only moments before. There was the dark, black, dog again. Right before his eyes, he saw it turn into a man. Harry looked around to see if anyone was watching. No. Professor Malfoy had joined the crowd around Winky and was talking to Professor Flamel. Probably about the fight, Harry thought. Draco was right behind his father. Eavesdropping as always, Harry thought. He looked around for Hermione and Ron, but they were nowhere to be seen. Neither was Dumbledore. Where are they? Harry thought. He looked over to where Sirius was, but he was gone too. Hmm, he thought. He suddenly remembered that he forgot to change into his robes. And where are my supplies? Harry thought. Harry wasn't holding his trunk of supplies and robes anymore. They weren't anywhere to be found. Where did I put them? Harry thought. I hope I didn't leave them in the Weasleys' car! He thought. That would be awful. How would I contact them if I don't even know where Hedwig is? Harry asked himself. Maybe I could borrow Ron's owl or one from the Owlery. He forgot about all his thoughts at that moment because Winky was coming to and was started to say something. Something that felt very important to Harry. 


	4. The-One-Who-Changes

* Chapter Four *  
  
The-One-Who-Changes  
  
    Winky got up and shook her head slowly, as before. Harry went closer to the crowd to hear what Winky was saying. "I saw-I saw- "The-One-Who- Changes," Winky said. They are talking about Sirius, right? They even have a name for him, Harry thought. "You mean- He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?" someone asked. Harry looked to see who asked this question. It was a woman. She looks like a new Professor, Harry thought. Harry looked at Professor Flamel. All of a sudden Professor Flamel looked at Harry. Harry looked away. Should I tell him? Does he know? Did Dumbledore tell him? Harry asked all these questions in his mind. He was very protective of Sirius. He felt like a father to him. Harry looked back to Professor Flamel, but he, like the others, had disappeared. Where have they all gone? Harry asked himself. Hopefully not to a party without me, Harry thought, smiling. Harry listened on to Winky 's voice again. "N-n-no. He-Who-Changes," Winky said. " "Who is He-Who-Changes? Can you say the name?" The woman asked again. "It-it-it-it- its---" Winky fainted again. Professor Malfoy looked disgustingly at the house elf. He's ashamed that it was once his house elf, Harry thought. How could someone faint so many times? That was a good question. Just for seeing Sirius? He's not what he seems, Harry thought. He'd had enough of people's opinions of Sirius. He started walking towards the Gryffindor tower. At least the Sorting Hat had already finished and all the first years had left. They would have enough rumors to last the whole term, Harry thought. Harry wasn't watching himself when he bumped into someone. "Well, hello Harry," the person said. "The weirdest thing just happened to me…I was in the girl's bathroom because the boy's bathroom was locked. And a girl's ghost came at me, telling me that the toilet I was sitting on was hers." The man laughed. Harry looked up. "That's Moaning Murtle…and…I-I'm sorry for bumping into you, Professor Flamel," Harry said uneasily. "I was just-" "Thinking," Professor Flamel said, completing Harry's sentence. "You know what, Harry?" he said. "Wh-what, Professor Flamel," Harry said, still uneasy about running into Professor Flamel. "You are just like me when I was a young lad," He said. This surprised Harry. "Really?" Harry asked. "Yes. Courageous. Brave. Bright. Skilled," the Professor said. Harry felt embarrassed and blushed. Seeing Harry's embarrassment, Professor Flamel changed the subject. "You know who He-Who-Changes is, don't you, Harry?" He asked. Harry had hoped that he had forgotten all about that and wouldn't ask that question. "W-well. I have an idea. Yes." Harry replied. "It's Sirius, isn't it?" Professor asked. "That old dog. And I do mean old dog," the professor commented. Harry smiled and relaxed. So he knew. That took a load off Harry's shoulders. "Lets talk in the Gryffindor Common Room, Harry. You can change when we get there. I'm the Head of Gryffindor this year, you know." Professor Flamel said happily. Harry's face lit up. "Really? All right!" Harry yelled. "Hey. Hey. Just because I'm nice doesn't mean you can break the rules and yell." the professor said, grinning. Harry grinned back. They reached a bathroom. "Wait. I don't have my trunk full of robes and supplies. I seem to have misplaced them," Harry said. "Oh. You mean this trunk?" Professor said, as he pulled Harry's trunk out of his cloak. "Wow! That's amazing. You carry it as if it were as light as a feather! And how did it fit in your cloak?" Harry said, surprised. "But, what about Hedwig's cage?" Harry asked unhappily. "You mean this one?" the professor said again, as he pulled out Hedwig's cage. "Wow! But where's Hedwig?" Harry said. "Wait, I know. I let her out when we were in the Weasley's car…Okay, I'll go change. Be right back," Harry said to Professor Flamel. Minutes later, Harry appeared, fully dressed in his robe. Professor Flamel offered to carry Harry's trunk, but Harry said it was okay. When they reached the fat lady painting, Professor Flamel said, "Kugglepoof," and the painting opened sideways to reveal a hole in the wall, which lead to the Gryffindor Common Room. Harry went first, but before he could, the fat lady said." That's not your password. It is Professor Flamel's. You have a separate one." "What?! I don't know mine." Harry said, worried. "It's okay, Harry. I forgot. Dumbledore told me to give the students their passes if they didn't have it." Professor Flamel said, taking out a piece of paper from his cloak. "Ah, yes," He said. He whispered it to Harry. "Leviosa." Harry said to the painting. The painting opened again and they both went through. Luckily, there was no one in the common room, so they could talk peacefully. Everyone was probably outside, enjoying the nice weather. Harry set his trunk down. "What was that for?" Harry asked. "The pass? Well it's about- I'm not supposed to tell you- well it has something to do with the new Professors and better security. That's all I can say," he answered. "More security…well, separate passwords are better security than Dementors all around. I'm sure Dumbledore wouldn't call for another incident like that…," Harry said, as he recalled the year that they had all the Dementors surrounding the school. "Well. Professor Malfoy was supposed to give you your pass when you came in, but I guess he forgot." Professor Flamel said. More like he didn't want to tell us, Harry thought to himself. "So how do you know about Sirius?" Harry asked the professor. The Professor smiled, but before Nicholas Flamel could reply, the fire in the fireplace started to flare up. 


	5. The Return

* Chapter Five *  
  
The Return  
  
     Harry looked into the fire and saw a familiar face. "Sirius!" Harry said excitedly. Then, much quietly, "Where have you been?". "It's good to see you again." Professor Flamel said into the fire. "Nicholas? Is that you? Oh, yes. I remember now. You're teaching there! I read that in a paper I saw. Remember the good old days at Hogwarts, Nick?" Sirius said from the fire. "Yes, I do Sirius. Sadly, those days are gone," Professor Flamel said with a sniff. While the two were talking, Harry looked around the common room to see if anyone had come in. He walked to his bed with his trunk and saw Ron's poster lying on his bed. So he's been here, Harry thought. He set his trunk below his bed and walked back to the fire. Sirius was slowly fading away. "I'll be back, Harry. Just a second," Sirius said as he faded away. Then, he was gone all together and the fire in the fireplace died down. A few minutes later, they heard some commotion behind the common room opening. Just then, the fat lady painting flipped sideways and the opening to the common room opened up. That was close, Harry thought. In walked Ron, Hermione and a black dog. Hermione looked behind her back to see if anyone was following. The opening shut after them. "That fat lady is so stubborn," Ron said. "Yeah. She wouldn't let the dog come in. Even after we told her Dumbledore said that we could," Hermione said. "I have to speak with Dumbledore in person," Ron said as he imitated the fat lady's voice. "I heard that!" The painting said from outside. Ron blushed a deep red. Harry and Hermione laughed. Professor Flamel was talking to the dog. Right before his eyes, for the second day today, the dog changed to a man. Professor Flamel shook hands with the man. This man was Sirius Black.  
  
Harry looked at Hermione and Ron. They had their mouth open just like the Dursleys had theirs. It made Harry laugh. Ron and Hermione looked at him. Professor Flamel and Sirius looked at them. Hermione and Ron quickly shut their mouths with embarrassed faces. This made Harry laugh even harder. That's probably how the Dursleys looked when we left the house, Harry thought. This made Harry laugh harder than ever. He grabbed his stomach because he was laughing so hard. There was another commotion outside, but Harry didn't seem to hear it. Just then, someone came in. Harry looked up. Professor Flamel introduced them to the new Headmaster. Harry's normal face color quickly changed to a dark red; even darker than Ron's face had been. Both Hermione and Ron were looking at Harry. It was their turn to laugh now. They wouldn't dare, though, because someone they didn't know was here. They hid their laughter behind their hands. The new headmaster was having a conversation with Professor Flamel and Sirius. He turned his head around to Harry. "So, you are Harry Potter," he said. "Ye-yes sir," Harry managed to say. He was still a little embarrassed. "Ah, yes. I can see your scar now. No offense to you, Harry," he said. Harry had heard many people talk about his scar already, so he didn't really mind. Somehow, Harry felt safe with this new headmaster, like he had with Professor Flamel. "Oh, I'm sorry. I haven't properly introduced myself, have I? I am your new headmaster, Avias Mult. Call me Headmaster Mult. Or Avias. Or Professor Mult. I will be one of your Professors as well. "So what are all these new Professors about?" Hermione asked, as curious as ever. "We won't tell you until tomorrow at breakfast in the Great Hall," the Headmaster replied. "We want you to get a good sleep before the news," "We won't get good sleep until we know what the news is. We'll keep thinking about it, Harry thought. He could tell by their faces that Ron and Hermione thought the same thing. "So! Shall we have some dinner, now?" the headmaster said. "We have cleaned up the Great Hall from Winky's incident. It will be a late dinner, but a good one. Many have missed their dinner also, so you won't be alone," "Sirius! You can't stay here. Do any of you know anything that we can hide him with?" "Yes!" Ron said loudly. Harry knew what he was thinking. The invisibility cloak. Harry shook his head. " I-I mean no. No, I don't," Ron said. "You'll just have to stay here, Sirius," the Headmaster said. Harry knew Sirius would be fine because he knew about the cloak.  
  
"Well, there's another sorting by the Sorting Hat that we've missed," Ron said to Harry on their way out. Harry went through the opening, but he bumped into something. Or somebody. This is the second person I've bumped into, Harry thought before he looked up. Finally, Harry managed to have the courage to see whom he had bumped into this time. It was the woman that had interrogated Winky in the Great Hall. "Um- I'm sorry," Harry muttered. "Professor Albany!" the Headmaster said to the woman. "Harry? Meet your new Gryffindor Quidditch Coach; at least for a while. Dumbledore had other plans for a Coach, but things went wrong and-" "I'm sorry. Seems that I've gotten carried away. Anyway. She's not a student like Wood, but she's just as good," Headmaster Mult said. No one will replace Oliver Wood, Harry thought sadly. Wood was the old Gryffindor Quidditch Coach. He was a student and had left Hogwarts after his after his seventh year. Harry was a first year when he started playing on the Quidditch team for Wood. First years weren't supposed to play, but they made an exception. Harry cheered up when he thought about playing Quidditch again this year.  
  
They walked to the Great Hall now. Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat down at the Gryffindor table, while the Headmaster and Professors sat at the High Table. There weren't many people there actually, just those who had stayed behind after the Sorting Ceremony and feast. Suddenly he spotted someone that he thought he would never see in his life again... 


	6. The Announcement

Chapter Six *  
  
The Announcement  
  
    "Is that who I think it is?" Hermione asked with a gasp. Ron turned a ghostly white. Harry wouldn't be surprised if he went through one of the walls exactly like a ghost. "Its- its- Mad-Eye-Moody!" Ron cried. They all just stared at him. They were all wondering the same thing. Was this the real Mad-Eye-Moody or an imposter? He was talking to the rest of the Professors at the High Table. Suddenly one of his eyes looked straight at them. This time Hermione and Harry also turned pale. He smiled and looked back at the Professors. They tried to take their minds off him and start eating, but they couldn't.  
  
Harry decided to see who had missed the ceremony or stayed behind. Draco was there, but without Crabbe or Goyle. This made Harry happy and he turned his normal face color again. Draco wouldn't be so tough anymore until he reunited with Crabbe and Goyle.  Harry wished that he could punch his lights out, but the Professors were still there. The food appeared on the plates in front of them as always. They started eating. Harry was hungry… very hungry. Ron seemed to be hungry too. Harry laughed to see him pigging out. Hermione was talking to Ginny. Harry looked up at the High Table again to see the new Headmaster. Wait a minute. New Headmaster? But I just saw Dumbledore in the Great Hall when Winky fell, Harry thought. Harry was befuddled. He couldn't make out what was going on.  
  
He looked back to Hermione and Ginny, but instead of them sitting there, was a dementor. "What the-AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Then Harry woke up. His scar was hurting. He touched it. It stopped hurting. Harry looked up. He saw four bedposts. He was at Hogwarts. He looked around to see Ron's bed empty. He's probably in the Great Hall eating, even after last night. But was last night real? What happened? Harry asked himself. It couldn't have been a dream. It was certainly real, except for the dementor. Harry stomach felt empty so he decided to go down for breakfast. Sure enough, when Harry entered the Great Hall, Ron was pigging out. Harry laughed as he sat down beside Ron. Harry looked over to see Hermione talking to Ginny. Looks like Hermione has taken a liking to Ginny, Harry thought. He decided not to bother them. Instead, he looked at Ron.  
  
He had taken a break from eating. "What happened last night, Ron?" Harry asked. "What? Oh. You fell asleep on the table last night," he replied starting on his food again. "Then how did I get to my bed?" Harry asked. "Professor Flamel carried you up to your bed," he replied. Harry felt embarrassed again. First time today! And in the morning too! He looked up at Professor Flamel, but he was talking to Mad-Eye-Moody. Harry looked down at his plate and realized that he hadn't taken one bite from his breakfast. He almost laughed when he thought of Ron saying, "Are you going to eat that?" Harry looked at Ron. He was gone. "Ron?" Harry said. His plate was still there. Ron wouldn't leave his food behind, Harry thought.  
  
He heard someone laugh, but it wasn't Hermione or Ginny. It was Ron. Harry looked around. And there was Ron. "Oh, hi Ron. Where'd you go? Who are you sitting next to? W- what are you doing here, Fleur?" Harry asked. Fleur Delacour was sitting right next to Ron at the end of the table. "I got transferred to Hogwarts. My father is now teaching here," she replied. "I am also in the Gryffindor House," Harry was surprised that she did not have French accent anymore, but she sounded English. "You don't have a French accent anymore," Harry commented. "I got that job in England," she replied. "But aren't you finished with your seventh year?" Harry asked. He felt as if he was becoming a nosy, curious Hermione. "Yes, but my father wanted me to stay close to him because of the-well. I don't know. The Headmaster said that he would announce it this morning. I'm in my fifth year this term. So, shall we wait?" she said.  
  
Just then, the Headmaster stood from the High Table. "I see that mostly everyone has finished his or her breakfast," Headmaster Mult said as he glanced at Harry. "I will now make the announcement," "As you have all heard or seen, the staff has changed at Hogwarts. The reason for that is a Dark wizard," Everyone gasped. "He or she has offered a deal to Dumbledore and he has accepted. The deal was that if Dumbledore changed all of his staff, including himself, he would not harm the children. However, if Dumbledore had not accepted the deal, he would have to harm the students. You all know Dumbledore loves his students, so therefore he accepted. We do not know why this wizard has offered this deal or why Dumbledore accepted the deal other than he loves his children. Obviously this Dark wizard is not afraid of Dumbledore or his spells. That is all we know for now. Carry on if you have not finished your breakfast. Classes have almost started," he said. "And please, don't panic," he finished.  
  
Everyone was scared of what might happen next. A dark wizard who is not afraid of Dumbledore? That was a terrifying thought. As Harry listened to Ron who was telling him their classes, he wondered about whom this wizard was. I wonder if it's Voldemort, Harry thought. Harry wasn't really listening to Ron, so he asked him to read the schedule again. "All right, but we have to hurry. Potions is first. You don't want to be late," Ron said. Ron repeated the schedule to Harry and they, with Hermione, were off with their supplies. When they got there, there were only three seats left. Unfortunately, one was beside Draco, one was beside Crabbe, and another beside Goyle. Ron quickly took the one beside Goyle and Hermione seated herself beside Crabbe. Unfortunately, this left just one more seat; the one beside Draco.  
  
Harry sat beside him unhappily and listened to Professor Malfoy's lesson. Harry looked at Draco unhappily. "What do you want Potter?" Malfoy sneered. It was a good thing they were in the back of the class. "Just because your father is teaching doesn't mean you can do anything you want," Harry said in Draco's face. "Oh, are you sure, Potter? I think you're wrong. Very wrong," Draco replied with a smirk. "You know what, Draco? Someday, I'll-" "POTTER," Professor Malfoy voice boomed across the room. "That's 100 House Points from Gryffindor," he said. Some Gryffindors groaned. They regretted it afterwards though, "Make that 200! For the groaning," Professor Malfoy said. Harry looked at Draco again. Something weird was going on. His face was twisting and turning. Suddenly, Draco's face turned into a Dementor with its mouth opened wide. Harry screamed. 


	7. Unanswered Questions

* Chapter Seven *  
  
Unanswered Questions  
  
    Harry woke up to find himself still at his desk. Professor Malfoy was standing right in front of him. A few Slytherins were giggling. "Is my class too boring for you, Potter?" he asked. "N-no sir," Harry managed to say. He was still scared from that dream. Was he really that tired to fall asleep? Which was part was real and which was not? The dementor was definitely not real, like the last dream. His scar started throbbing. "Go to your next class, Potter… and 30 points from Gryffindor. Remember to ask your friends for the homework," Professor Malfoy said. Harry gathered his supplies and left.  
  
He had so many questions. I wish Dumbledore were here, Harry thought. But that was another question. Why was Dumbledore in the Great Hall? Did the Dark wizard know? That would mean that Dumbledore hadn't kept his part of deal and the Dark wizard would hurt the students of Hogwarts. Or was that Dumbledore at all? Was this all a dream? There were too many questions for Harry to think about. What class did Ron say was next? Defense Against The Dark Arts. Harry walked in to see Professor Flamel there. Everyone was all ready seated. Professor turned and smiled at Harry as he came in. Harry sat down next to Ron and Hermione. Professor Flamel must have let them save the spot because it was rare that he would get to sit next to both of his friends. Professor Flamel's lesson was very interesting. He talked to them about the Dark wizard that had threatened and made a deal with Dumbledore. He talked about how we would fight him if he tried to hurt us.  By the end of class, no one was eager to leave. One reason was that the class had been interesting and exciting as well as informative. The second reason was that next was Divination. Although it was probably a different Professor, Professor Trelawney had made the class boring.  
  
When they entered the classroom, it was decorated differently. They looked around to find the Professor and they saw Madame Malkin of Madame Malkin's Robes for All Occasions sitting with a crystal ball. "Welcome," she said in a mystic voice. "To my Divination lair. Please seat yourselves," Everyone did as they were told. Most of Madame Malkin's speeches weren't a lesson, but a welcoming. Everybody enjoyed it. It brought a new meaning to Divination. The next two classes weren't as bad as Potions and went pretty well. When it was lunchtime, they all went down to the Great Hall to eat. They all ate quickly because their next class was Astronomy. Usually this class wasn't bad. They walked into the classroom to find Professor Delacour. In his lesson, he talked a great deal about constellations. It seemed that he was fit for the job and very knowledgeable. They finished the class and moved on.  
  
"This is it," Ron said from beside him. "What's it?" Harry asked. "Weren't you listening when I read the schedule?" "We're having a new class. Its called Muggle Studies. Now I can tell my dad the things I've read and learned," Ron said proudly. They entered the new classroom and saw a handsome man wearing a navy blue cloak standing at the front of the room. He was neither fat nor skinny and was probably in his late thirties. "Hello," he started by saying. "I'm sure that I will enjoy teaching Muggle Studies to you children very much. I'm Merton Malchin. Call me Professor Malchin," he said politely. "I study about Muggle inventions so that I can teach my discoveries to you," "Now, does anyone live with Muggle parents or relatives?" he asked everybody. A few people raised their hands. Including Harry and Hermione. "Great! You will be my helpers in class. In case I get something wrong, tell me because you may be more experienced with the Muggle inventions.  
  
Now, you others who live with wizard and witches, don't be sad. Please don't feel left out. You will be learning like me," he said. All the students introduced themselves, with their names, family members, if they lived with Muggles, etc. Professor Malchin concluded the lesson by inviting them to his shop in Diagon Alley, Merton's Muggle Shop. He shook everybody's hand, recalling their names, as the students went by. It was finally time for dinner. The day had gone by fast and not many problems had come upon Harry and the others, unless you counted the dreams. Or were they dreams? The questions remained unanswered. Will they ever be answered? Harry asked himself. He walked with Hermione and Ron to the Great Hall. They found some spots to sit at the Gryffindor table. Nothing amazing happened while they were eating. They just mainly talked about their new Professors and Muggle Studies. After dinner, the girls and the boys went separate ways to their beds.  
  
Harry was beginning to think that this was going to be a plain Hogwarts term this year. Just as Harry was beginning to fall asleep, he remembered about Sirius. He wondered where he was. Harry decided to go look for him, trying not to wake Ron. He wanted his friends to have a normal, plain Hogwarts day. Harry rummaged through his trunk, trying to find his invisibility cloak when he remembered that Sirius probably took it. He really wanted to see if Sirius was all right, so he went out alone. He walked around the common room as he called out Sirius's name. Maybe he thought that the girls' bedroom was a safe place to hide, Harry thought. He tiptoed through the girls' bedroom, saying Sirius' name quietly. No luck in the girls' bedroom, so Harry decided to go out into the hall. He made an excuse to the fat lady painting that the new Headmaster wanted to talk to him privately at night so no one would know.  
  
He crept down the stairs to Professor Flamel's classroom to see if he was there. He would be sure to be able to find Sirius. After all, they were old best friends, weren't they? Harry finally was able to dart into Professor Flamel's classroom, trying to avoid Professor Malfoy or Peeves. Unfortunately, he was not there. Harry sat down. If Professor Flamel wasn't here, who could help him? Just then something rattled far back in the room. Harry turned around to see... 


	8. Hogwarts' Wanderers

*Chapter Eight*  
  
Hogwarts' Wanderers  
  
"Oh, hello there. So, this is the real Harry Potter. I'm glad to finally meet you in person, Harry," It was a man's voice, but it wasn't Professor Flamel's. The figure stepped out from the shadows with a clunking sound. Harry gasped. "P- Professor Moody! I'm glad t-to meet you too," Harry said, stuttering. He sounded like Professor Quirrell. "Now, don't be afraid Harry. The Alastor Moody that you met was not the real me. Remember that," Professor Moody said. "Y-yes sir," Harry managed to say. He still recalled his fourth year when someone had posed as Professor Moody. "I can see why you're still frightened by me. First impressions really do count. Even if it wasn't the real person," Professor Moody said sadly. "I'd take it all back if I could," he said, looking up at the ceiling. He was apparently trying to recall the worst moments of his life; the times that he had made bad choices and other bad impressions for people.  
  
"You're a good boy, Harry. You live a good life. You should keep it that way. Don't make bad choices like me," Professor Moody said with a twinkle in his magical eye. It was such a twinkle like Dumbledore's that Harry almost thought that he was talking to Dumbledore himself. "Now what can I do for you, Harry?" he said. "I was looking for Professor Flamel, but I think I should get to bed before I fall asleep in class again. I have the most terrifying and confusing dreams I've ever had…" As Harry said this, a stern look came upon Professor Moody's face. "Yes, yes. You should go. Go ahead," Professor Moody said. Harry walked out the door and towards the Gryffindor tower. He looked over his shoulder just in time to see Professor Moody creep around the corner to the Great Hall. Where is he going? Midnight snack? Harry asked himself. Harry, curious, decided to follow Professor Moody into the Great Hall.  
  
As Harry approached the Great Hall, he could hear whispers coming from the Great Hall. He managed to hear a few words of the conversation. Professor Flamel and Professor Moody's voice came out nice and clear.  
  
"He was looking for you,"  
  
"I'll talk to him tomorrow. What did he say?"  
  
"He said that he keeps falling asleep in class,"  
  
"So maybe he's tired…"  
  
"He also said he had the most terrifying dreams he'd ever had."  
  
"Are you sure it wasn't a joke?"  
  
"Why would he joke?"  
  
"I don't know, but its possible."  
  
"I'm not sure if it was a joke, but we can't take a chance,"  
  
"Okay. Tomorrow I'll ask him if he has any dreams,"  
  
"Good. We have to take care of this quickly. I'll tell Sirius tomorrow. He can help,"  
  
"What about Avias? Shouldn't he know about this?"  
  
"I don't know. I'm not sure if he's trustworthy enough or not. Don't you get this mysterious vibe off of him?"  
  
"Vibe?"  
  
"Er- nevermind…"  
  
"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow,"  
  
"Same place, same time?"  
  
"Of course"  
  
"Bye."  
  
Harry started to back out when someone said his name. "Hello Harry. Sneaking around Hogwarts? This is going to be a great story for the Headmaster," "Peeves!" Harry said quietly but angrily. Harry backed away from Peeves and right into the Great Hall. Harry gasped quietly. "What was that?" Professor Moody said. Somebody grabbed Harry from behind. Harry started to scream, but thought better of it. "Shhhhh..." the person from behind Harry said. He turned Harry around so that Harry could see the person's face. Harry gasped again. Then he sighed. "Sirius?" Harry asked. "Do not tell anyone about tonight's conversation. Not even Ron or Hermione," Sirius said quietly. "Now lets get back to the Gryffindor Common Room," he said. Harry nodded slowly. They were heading up when somebody yelled, "Hogwarts wanderers! Hogwarts wanderers!" The people inside the Great Hall, abruptly stopped. "Who are they?"  
  
"Peeves, stop,"  
  
"Oh my- You're Sirius Black! Wait till everyone hears about this!"  
  
"Peeves. I'm warning you. I'll tell the Bloody Baron," Sirius said.  
  
"And I'm a witness," Harry added, backing Sirius up.  
  
"You won't tell." Peeves said.  
  
"Oh, won't I?" Sirius asked.  
  
"Who are they?" someone asked again.  
  
Peeves shut up. "Not! Ha ha... I fooled you. No Hogwarts wanderers tonight!" Peeves said toward the Great Hall. To Sirius and Harry he said, "Party poopers," He floated away through a wall with his nose toward the ceiling. "Thanks," Harry said to Sirius as they headed toward the Gryffindor tower once more. Climbing up the stairs, Sirius stopped in his tracks. "Wait," he said as he turned into a dog. "I'll be less suspicious this w-lghkhjgh," Sirius said as his mouth turned from a human's into a dog's. "Let's hurry before they come out." Harry whispered. They arrived at the fat lady's painting. Fortunately, the fat lady had gone off on a midnight stroll (which she wasn't supposed to do). They tipped open the painting and Sirius and Harry entered the Common room. "God night, Sirius." Harry whispered. The other boys were asleep already. "Good night, Harry." Harry ran straight for his bed and fell asleep with wondrous dreams and Sirius lying beside the bed with the Invisibility Cloak covering him. There was a faint clunking sound in the night. No one knew about that wandering and secret night except Sirius, Peeves, Harry, Professor Flamel, and Professor Moody. Them and a dark figure that was silently cast in a shadow against the wall...a woman's dark figure… 


	9. Puzzling Dreams

*Chapter Nine*  
  
Puzzling Dreams  
  
    Harry woke up sweaty. He had had another dream. This one wasn't like the others for some reason. It was...it was...just different. Harry looked to where Sirius had lay down just the other night, but he wasn't there. Harry looked around. Everyone was still sleeping. What time is it? Harry asked himself. He decided to go to the Great Hall for breakfast anyway. He found a great surprise when he got there. The Great Hall was packed. Everyone was eating breakfast already. Everybody. "Hey Harry! Come sit over here," Ron shouted. "No! Over here!" Hermione shouted from the Slytherin table. Why is Hermione at the Slytherin table? Harry asked himself.  
  
As Harry was trying to decide where to sit, someone yelled, "No! Over here, Potter" Harry looked over to see Draco Malfoy smiling and beckoning Harry to come over. He was sitting at the Hufflepuff table. Harry stepped back. This was too weird. He bumped into something; actually, somebody. Harry did not dare to turn around. "Hi, Harry," said a familiar voice. Harry turned around and found himself staring eye to eye with Peeves. Only this was not the ghost Peeves. This was real, with flesh and everything; a human; a solid form. Harry's mouth dropped open. "Could you please get out of my way?" he said politely. "W-who are you?" Harry said.  
  
"A lot of people call me Peeves, so I guess you could too. Although I don't really like the name," "W-what's your real name?" Harry asked. "Peter Lomstarger," Peeves said. "Okay, Peter," Harry said as he stepped out of his way. Peter smiled. "Thanks Harry. You're a great guy," he said as he walked toward a table. For a second there, Harry had forgotten about the craziness around him. Harry looked around, but everyone was gone. He heard a sound behind him. It sounded awfully familiar. It was a raspy, wheezy noise. Harry stepped away and turned around at the same time. There, standing in front of him, was a dementor. Harry ran. For some reason, he wasn't going anywhere. But the dementor was. Isn't this the time when the dream ends? Harry thought.  
  
The dementor came closer, it's mouth wide open. Just then Harry thought of something. He took out is wand. Luckily he still had it from last night and had forgotten to put it away. "Expecto Patronum," Harry shouted with his wand pointed at the dementor. The raspy, wheezing sound turned louder and louder until the dementor was nothing at all. Harry panted, out of breath. He looked around and found a shock. There were four more dementors crowding around him. Getting closer, and closer, and closer.......                              
  
"Arrrggghhh!" Harry shouted as he leaped out of bed. He landed on Sirius who was on the floor. Sirius grunted and said something, but Harry muffled his voice. Harry realized that he was sitting on Sirius and got up. "I-I'm sorry, Sirius," Harry said. "Never mind that. What happened, Harry? Another dream?" Harry didn't dare to tell him. "Harry.... I-I have to tell you something…especially after that conversation that you overheard. You must listen carefully and don't panic," Sirius said. It was hard not to panic once you were told not to. "O-okay," Harry said. "Your mother and father were very special. Not only because they were great wizards and witches, but also something else. You see, it kind of runs in the family: something that senses great evil. You have your scar. Some other members of your family have other things.  
  
I thought that you might have something else that senses evil as well as your scar and have talked to Dumbledore about it. He agrees that it is possible. As you can see, you have had some nightmares. Nightmares that obviously have evil in them. I-" Just then somebody stirred in their bed. It was Ron. He opened his eyes and stretched. "Oh, hi there Harry. Hi, Sirius," he said. He seemed quite happy. "Oy, how long have you been up," he said as he stretched again. "Is it time for breakfast yet?" Ron asked. There's the Ron I know, Harry thought. "Almost, I think," Harry said. "Well then. Let's get down to the Great Hall!" Ron said eagerly. This shout made everyone stir in their beds. One by one, each of the boys in their beds woke up. "Jeez Ron...what time is it?" Seamus Finnigan said.  
  
"That's Ron for you. Always thinking of food," Fred said. "Yep," George said sleepily. Ron blushed. "Am not!" Ron shouted. "Let's just get down to the Great Hall," Harry said. "Yeah. Now that we're awake," Seamus said, glancing at Ron. He looked at Harry. "Hey, Harry. Wasn't there someone by your bed just a minute ago?" Fred said. Harry looked toward where Sirius had stood. He wasn't to be seen. "No, not that I know of," Harry said. "Yeah," George said sleepily again. Fred hit him with a pillow.  George hid under his blankets. Ron came over with his pillow and slammed it on George. George got out from under his covers. He took out his pillow from under his head and slammed it against Ron's head. Pieces of candy flew everywhere from George's pillow.  
  
Seamus gasped. "You've been hiding out on us, George!" he said. He grabbed a handful. Ron was about to say something, but decided not to. George closed his eyes and seemed to drift off to sleep again. "Take all you'd like," George said. Maybe it was just Harry, but it looked as if he had a smirk on his face. Seamus took one out from its wrapper. He put it in his mouth and started coughing. He spit the candy out. Only it wasn't candy. It was a big ball of fur. "Yuck!" Seamus yelled. "A hairball?!?!"  he said, looking angrily at George. George chuckled. Fred burst out laughing. "The first victim," Fred said in between breaths. "What do you call it?" Harry asked excitedly. "Well, we haven't named it yet. We didn't want to until we were sure of what it did," Fred said. "Now we do," George said, grinning. "We were up all night last night, trying to put the finishing touches.  
  
This thought struck Harry quite hard. Last night. Had they known that he had left the common room? "Well, let's get to the Great Hall," Ron said. They all left except George, Fred, and Harry. They stayed behind. "So Harry," Fred said. "Wandering Hogwarts yesterday?" George asked. Harry was shocked. They did know. "Umm-I......" Harry started to say. "No problem," Fred said quietly. "We'll keep it a secret," George said. "Yeah. After all, we do it too," Fred said with a grin. Harry felt like a whole load was lifted off his shoulders. "Thanks, you guys," Harry whispered. They started for the Great Hall when Harry remembered Sirius. "Uh...I think I'll stay behind for a while," Harry said. "Okay, just don't eat the candy," Fred said. Harry smiled. "I'll be sure not to," Fred and George left and Harry stayed.  
  
"Sirius," he whispered. A silvery gray cloak appeared and so did Sirius. "So those are the Weasley twins," Sirius said. It was a statement. Not a question. He chuckled. "Very inventive minds," Sirius said as he chuckled once more. "Well, no time to tell you about you-know-what. You have to get to class," he said. "Right, right," Harry said as he walked out. Harry bumped into Professor Flamel in the hall. "Oh-hello, Harry," Professor Flamel said. "Is Sirius in there?" "Y-yes, sir," Harry replied. He knew why he was asking for Sirius. But would Sirius tell that Harry had heard the whole conversation last night while he was wandering Hogwarts? He would be in serious trouble. Dumbledore might understand, but Harry wasn't sure about Headmaster Mult. He just wasn't the same as Dumbledore. Nobody was. Why did he have to accept the deal? Why...it wasn't fair… 


End file.
